Friday, February 7, 2014

Jewel's father, the smuggler king, decides to take his honorary title a
step too far when he offers her in trade for an army and a secure port to do
his illegal business. She finds herself on the run from her father, and the
evil mutant prince who wants to impregnate her with his heir.

Jewel faces a brutal world alone as she attempts her escape. With a fortune
in bounty on her head, she soon discovers staying free isn't as easy as she'd
hoped it would be, but her cunning and fighting skill help her evade capture
time and again.

Only one bounty hunter, Rion, is man enough to capture her, but she's also
the true mate to his inner wolf. When he makes love with her, the act of taking
her virginity bonds him to this woman of worth. Now, keeping his mate alive and
safe make Rion and his friends wanted men.

Rion can only think of one way to insure his woman remain safe, she needs a
guardian. Rion asks his mentor, Makis, and the other shifter agrees to bond
with the woman. Can Jewel find love and happiness with both men?

Sol gripped the shuttle’s comm and turned it off. They didn’t want any
ships to hail them. He set the coordinates in the computer to take them to the
planet Atala. “I wish we were closer. Every second counts, and I want to earn
this bounty and get back home. Linus Lilymann—huh, he’s such a crook. You know
we’re probably looking for stolen, stolen property,” Sol complained.

“I know, but Lilymann has plenty of money. This is important to him if he’s
willing to contract professional bounty hunters. He doesn’t get the goods until
we get paid.”

“Fair enough. You were the one to get the details. What exactly are we
hunting?” Sol asked. His eyebrow rose.

“His ruby was stolen,” Isser replied.

“His ruby? As in singular? One gem?”

“That’s what he said. He said it’s the ruby he’s always wanted, and he
needs it back before the full moon. A woman took it. We’re not supposed to take
the gem from her. He wants us to bring the woman instead. He said she has it,
without a doubt, and just to bring her back to him, alive, and that’s it. He
gave me this bit of fabric. It bears her scent. She smells a bit strange, but I
can’t put my finger on it.”

Sol took the scrap of pale material and pressed it to his nose. He inhaled
sharply.

“You’re right. This scent isn’t quite human. Even the most mutated human
wouldn’t smell like this. It’s not like anything I’ve encountered before. It’s
almost wolf, but different. Strange.” He sighed and shrugged as he handed the
clue back to Isser. “I hate hunting women, even thieves. Makis would never have
accepted this job...” Sol paused and rubbed his tired eyes. “If Jewel and her
pups die, the pack will never be home again. I doubt Rion and Makis would even
survive. Rion might because he has Boon to think about, but Makis wouldn’t have
anything if they all three die. If we weren’t on the run, we could take out
credit. They’d already have had the benefit of a doctor. Even free from the
clan, we are still suffering. I pray to the gods someday we’ll have true safety
to live in the old way. Jewel is the glue holding us together. Everything turns
to shit when she dies.”

“Don’t...fucking...talk...like...that... Just don’t! Makis is our leader.
He’d never leave us by choice.” Isser sounded younger than his years and even a
little frightened. The way he said leader could’ve easily been substituted for
father.

“You feel it, the way it is for the three of them. Don’t tell me you
haven’t woken to a wave of passion in the middle of the night. Occasionally,
I’d experience the strong impression of the possessiveness and awe those two
have for her. That’s the dream, to love like nothing else matters. It’s why we
risked everything to leave the clan. I doubt I’ll ever have what they have, but
it’s beautiful. I wouldn’t want to live if I lost a mate and that kind of
perfect, forever love.”

Sol heard the clatter of Isser’s seat belt releasing. He turned and noticed
his brother’s enraged scowl as the man crouched down in the single pilot
compartment next to him. “We can’t think like she’s going to die. We do the
job, and we get them what they need. We make it better, got it?”

Sol nodded, but the horror echoing from Isser’s subconscious hit him in
waves of agony. They’d all lost family and community once. The idea of losing
what they had slammed into his heart with agonizing force.

“At least we won’t have to go through any wormholes. Sit back and relax,
Bro. We’re on our way,” Isser muttered. He gave his brother a quick look before
he punched the accelerator on the old ship. The stars stretched out into long
lines around them as they sped through space in the direction of planet Atala.
The money they needed to take care of their pack waited for them.

* * * *

Ruby ached all over. Sleeping on the cold ground wasn’t what she was
accustomed to doing. Her life of learning and prayer hadn’t prepared her for
being on the run. Since her escape, she’d managed to avoid the men searching
for her by staying in the dark woodland. New men, more skilled trackers, had
joined her kidnappers. The idea of so many males hunting her was terrifying.
She suffered, so ill, her whole body burning, as if it were on fire. The primal
wilderness wasn’t helping her hold on to her civilized humanity. The tiger
wanted freedom. Ruby missed her warm, safe bed back at the house of worship.
Her pussy throbbed, and she glanced up at the sky superstitiously. She’d been
warned about the urges. She wanted meat, rare—raw, delicious meat. The desire
struck her as odd since she’d grown up on a vegetarian diet.

Her mind wandered to the many ceremonies where the male devotees worshipped
in the temple. Ruby remembered singing the hymns with passion as she observed
the women riding the hard cocks of their silent lovers. Little arrows of
excitement darted through her core as she imagined hairless, purified male
bodies naked and chained. They lay in a state of helpless arousal during the
full moon.

Her fingers brushed her mound through her tattered robes. She moaned.
Pleasuring herself before her consecration was a terrible sin against the
goddess, so she stopped and ignored the ache for release. If she didn’t get
back to her planet, and the house of worship, she’d die. She’d escaped before
they could deliver her, but somewhere on this world lurked the man who’d paid
for her kidnapping. She’d heard the monsters talking. They knew her time was running
out. Luckily, her change had given her the strength to escape, but now that
power had left her. This world didn’t have the red burning moon of her home,
but the lack of astronomical markers wasn’t stopping her body from the
tormenting effects of her first heat.

Panting, she lay in the cool grass, trying to focus on the sensation of the
cold dew instead of how much she craved the end of her virginity. If she were
home, she’d be lying naked, awaiting the male worshippers who would unleash the
cat inside her. Until today, she’d dreaded the experience, but now she needed
sex.

A wave of dizziness hit her. Light-headed, Ruby sat up. The early-dawn
light burned strangely bright. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes, and the
action caused her to notice her nails. Gasping, she pulled her hand closer to
her face. Her eyes widened, and her lip trembled. She squeezed her mouth
tightly shut to stop the tremble. Terror gripped her. The bitter taste of bile
rose up in her throat. The nasty flavor caused her to suck in a deep breath as
she fought to maintain her composure. Her nails had grown into sharp claws, and
each of her knuckles had a frightening patch of hair jutting out from her skin.

She wanted to kill prey and eat it. A consecrated youth learned the virtue
of a sweet and serene attitude. Now she desired violence as her inner agitation
escalated. Her stomach rolled. Hunger had always been a usual part of her daily
routine. Showing restraint at all times, included meals, was part of her
ritualistic worship practices, but she’d never experienced such a gripping
demand for sustenance. Agony curled her into a ball. She took deep breaths
through her nose and exhaled deeply out of her mouth. When the torment
subsided, Ruby stretched. Sitting in the dirt wasn’t going to fill her belly. A
strange urge to hunt made her restless.

She didn’t have the slightest idea about how to stalk prey, and yet her
tiger wanted to do it. The beast had always been deep inside her, but this was
the first time her inner animal was strong enough to control her. She didn’t
like it. The sensation of losing control shook her with terrifying ferocity.
Every moment she became more feline than human. Nothing made sense this
morning. Her mind filled with images of animals running, but instead of
thinking of them as creatures, she thought of them as delicious food. Her breath
caught. She battled the impulse to run off into the wilderness and hunt. This
foreign woodland taunted her with its majesty. Lost and alone, she wasn’t sure
where to go. What remained of her rational thought reminded her she needed to
find a way back to her sanctuary. The old mother would know what to do. The
other tiger priestesses would help her through this transition.

A noise caused her to sit up. At least two light-footed creatures were
running. Instinct changed the way her senses brought information to her brain.
Everything hit her mind so much more richly and yet in a truly primal way that
left her feeling off-kilter. She tried to stand, but the world spun, and she
landed hard on her ass. Ruby moaned, closing her eyes. Cramps filled her stomach.
This pain clawed her much worse than her monthly cycle, this fire burned
through her—killing her. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

“Who are you?” The gruff male voice terrified her. Ruby’s eyes opened
quickly. She lay too weak to flee. She must have fallen unconscious for a few
moments. Her body wouldn’t respond, as it stayed worthless for moving or
fighting. This affliction had taken a great toll. Terror grew exponentially as
her blurry vision sharpened, and she realized just how large and imposing the
male’s body truly appeared. She could smell him. He wasn’t human.

“I am Ruby, devotee of the cat goddess,” she managed to respond. This man
wasn’t one of her attackers. They’d been human. This male was like her.
Shifter. His warm amber eyes weren’t cruel. His hair was long, black. He wore
it tied back in a ponytail. He was handsome. She didn’t have much experience
with men, but this one was so unmistakably perfect she was able to register his
masculine beauty even in her condition.

“Shit! Damn it, Lilymann is fucking with us. This is the girl,” said the
male who’d questioned her. “Do you smell her? I think we’ve been played.”
Weakness lingered, and she couldn’t open her eyes, but he wasn’t talking to
her.

“You’re right. The scent is different now, but it’s definitely her.
She’s—oh gods, no, that spiciness—she’s a tigress,” replied another man.
“That’s what smelled off about her scent. She’s never shifted. That’s why we
couldn’t tell. Tigers don’t shift until they go into heat. Damn it!”

She managed to open her heavy eyelids. The second man was almost as
beautiful as the first man was. His hair was much lighter, and she marveled at
the various shades of blond, light brown, and red that glinted in the sunlight.
This stranger had hair any woman would envy, but there was nothing feminine
about the sculpted masculinity of his face. He was incredible. He was
also...different. She’d seen men who wanted to serve, but these men looked
ready to dominate. They frightened her, but she also found them fascinating. He
glanced at her, and they made eye contact. His eyes were such a deep green they
reminded her of the forest. The image of a wolf leaping over a fallen log
filled her brain, and she drew in a deep breath. She sighed before the
exhaustion became too much, and her eyes closed again of their own accord. Ruby
laid her head down in the dirt as she gave up the struggle. The weakness was
intolerable, but she knew no remedy except returning home to the goddess.

“We aren’t looking for a gem. She’s the ruby. Oh gods, how were we so
stupid as to believe this hunt would be as simple of a matter as stolen
property?”

She had no idea what property he referred to, and she didn’t care. She
hadn’t taken anything from anyone. Ruby drew in another deep breath, and her
brain registered what was bothering her. These men were shifters—wolves. Why
wolves would agree to hunt another shifter was a mystery to her. Her curiosity
didn’t last long. Pain raced through her abdomen, tearing a cry from her lips.
She hurt so badly she curled into a fetal position. She didn’t care what
happened to her anymore, because she was dying. No one could hurt this bad and
survive. She agonized over the emptiness of life cut too short and unfinished
days. She wished for another day—an hour even—just to enjoy existence. As she
lost consciousness, the darkness swept away her pain, and she sighed with
relief.

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About Me

I love to read romance, so I started this blog to talk about books, authors, and whatever else that interest me. I am a book reviewer, beta reader, and aspiring writer. My favorite romance genre are Erotic, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Futuristic.